System and method for efficient directory performance using non-persistent storage

• US 20070106691A1
• Filed: 11/09/2005
• Published: 05/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Computer Associates Think Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Harvey, Richard, Gardiner, Benjamin
• Granted Patent: US 9,922,031 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2308 Concurrency control transaction processing G06F9/466

Abstract

A system and method are provided for processing directory service operations. The system includes a client device communicatively coupled to one or more directory servers. Each directory server includes a communications interface, a storage mechanism, and an evaluation module. According to an exemplary embodiment, the storage mechanism is a non-persistent storage mechanism which increases read and write performance. When a directory server receives a directory service operation, it determines whether it is capable of processing the operation, and if so, processes it with respect to its non-persistent storage mechanism.

Claims

1. A method of evaluating directory service operation comprising:

receiving, at a first directory server, a directory service operation; and

enabling the first directory server to process the directory service operation, with reference to a non-persistent storage mechanism.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein data resident in the non-persistent storage mechanism is used in the step of evaluation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein only data resident in the non-persistent storage mechanism is used in the step of evaluation.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the directory service operation comprises referencing the non-persistent storage mechanism and a secondary storage mechanism.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the secondary storage mechanism is a persistent storage mechanism.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first directory server is part of a directory service network comprising a plurality of directory servers.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein when the first directory server is unable to process the directory service operation, the method further comprises:

forwarding the directory service operation to one or more additional directory servers in the directory service network.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining whether the directory service operation is an update operation;

if the directory service operation is an update operation, determining whether the operation is to be performed on a predefined type of data; and

if the directory service operation is to be performed on a predefined type of data, updating a persistent storage mechanism with the result of the directory service operation.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the directory service operation is received using at least one of the following protocols:

X.500 or lightweight directory access protocol.

10. A directory server for processing directory service operations comprising:

a communications interface configured to receive one or more directory service operations from one or more client devices;

a non-persistent storage mechanism configured to temporarily store data for responding to the directory service operations received by the communications interface; and

an evaluation module configured to process the directory service operation with reference to the non-persistent storage mechanism.

11. The directory server of claim 10, wherein the non-persistent storage mechanism is an internal memory resident table.

12. The directory server of claim 10, wherein the non-persistent storage mechanism is an external storage device.

13. The directory server of claim 10, wherein the non-persistent storage mechanism is pre-loaded with data from a secondary storage mechanism.

14. The directory server of claim 10, wherein the non-persistent storage mechanism comprises an alternate evaluator configured to cache a directory store.

15. A directory system for evaluating directory service operations comprising:

one or more client devices, each of the client devices including a communications interface; and

a directory service network comprising a plurality of directory servers, wherein at least one of the directory servers comprises;

a communications interface configured to receive one or more directory service operations from the one or more client devices;

a non-persistent storage mechanism configured to temporarily store data for responding to the directory service operations received by the communications interface; and

an evaluation module configured to process the directory service operations with reference to a non-persistent storage mechanism.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more client devices and the directory service network communicate using a directory service protocol.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the directory service protocol is at least one of X.500, LDAP, and DSML.